Repellent

I really like Kiss My Face Swy Flotter:
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=39204&...
It's a light, spray-on oil that is mild enough for babies and works for my kids and me. I've tried Burts Bees (thicker oil, stronger smell), Repel cream (strong eucalyptus base), and others, but this seems the mildest, easy to apply. I've read that people can be sensitive to lemongrass, eucalyptus, even citronella, so be careful, just b/c a product is natural doesn't mean it will be safe for every user. Look out for skin or respiratory reactions.

From Dirtdoctor.com - something you can make yourself!

Mosquito Repellents

DEET products are too toxic and should never be used, epecially around children and more especially on their skin. What is effective, non-toxic and recommended is explained below.

Vanilla home remedy for personal use:
8 oz water
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp. orange oil
Spray on liberally.

Some have also recommended Watkins Vanilla hand/body lotion, which is available at Walmart.

Federal officials are recommending two new options other than the chemical DEET to combat mosquitoes:

Picaridin: More pleasant to the skin and doesn't have the odor that DEET repellents have.
(It's a chemical so still not on my recommended list).

Oil of lemon eucalyptus: A natural ingredient for those who don't like the thought of putting chemicals on their skin.

Garlic to chase away Mosquitoes

For site use:
Spray garlic tea over the entire problem area and for even more control broadcast dry minced garlic at 2 - 5 lbs per 1000 sq ft.

1 mom found this helpful

Avon's Skin so soft lotion (don't pay the money for their skin so soft bug stuff, just get the original product). the marine corp in Georgia used that when my brother was in boot camp. We use it on all our kids.
A.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi,
I discovered just the thing some years ago! Look for Bert's Bees Herbal Insect Repellent. It used to be called Lemongrass Insect Lotion, but the formula was changed a little several years ago, but it works great!
Lemongrass oil, one of the active ingredients is used in India to keep bugs away from children. I talked to a lady born in India after finding the product and she told me she used it as a child. The formula is safe for children and pets and it has a pleasant aroma.

I found it in a local Health Food store, so look in a place that sells natural products. Stay away from DEET if at all possible. It sounds very toxic.

Good luck!!

1 mom found this helpful

I know you have a ton of responses already but I thougt I'd let you know what works for us. We live overseas - in mosquito infested Indonesia! I could not live without the California Baby repellent spray, not lotion. It works very well for both my 2.5 yo and 6 mo. It is even the best thing for me! With any other product they eat right through my son and I. Believe me we have tried them all! Hope you have a good trip and find a product that works well for you.

1 mom found this helpful

I see that you have been told about the Avon products, so I am only here to tell you that their products work the best that I have found. I get eaten alive and swell up terribly from mosquito bites. Personally, I like the expedition kind that Avon sells (green aerosol can). It is fantastic!

Good Morning L.!

My name is B., mother of five, ages 4-14 yo.and am new to this group.

I really try to avoid chemicals in my home, especially ones that are known to cause problems, such as DEET. I shop with an online company named Melaleuca (www.melaleuca.com) that has over 300 everyday products that are based in nature. They use the best of nature and the best of science to produce some really great products and the best part is that they are cheaper than purchasing in a store! I have a "recipe" for bug spray where I mix several ingredients together--effective and chemical free! If you'd like more details and want to learn more about this company, feel free to email or call--###-###-#### or ____@____.com. Thanks! Hope you have a great (itch free) trip!

B.

L., go to Walmart in the Camping and Hunting Dept. There are "THerma Cells" for sale. They are very good to keep mosquitos away. You light them and they can be carried with you, they have a case to put them in and refills are sold for them. They are wonderful.......CherylH

Try to avoid mosquito ridden areas...standing water. Avoid going out in the evening when its humid and damp...the mosquitos are more active then. If you have them out in a yard or small area you can try burning citronella or whatever they have out now to ward off mosquitos.
But at the end of the day if she really does have a problem w/ them I'd use the repellant w/ deet. Use it sparingly and wash her up good afterwards. Keep it out of her face and breathing as well. Avon has the skin so soft product which is nice but walmart too sells very similar products. I am not sure if they contain deet or not.

Hi, L.. I am curious about which country you are traveling to... we are living in Asia right now and traveled with our infant when he was 7 weeks old to Bali. We discovered some fabulous insect treatment (for mosqito bites) in Bali... it is all written in Indonesian, so I don't know what it is called, but it is like magic... the welts just go away, so we bought about 5-6 bottles and travel with it. I would not be afraid to go to the local pharmacy in the country that you are visiting, particulary if mosquitoes are a problem there. Take your child with you and explain what you need... they probably have some great products that we can't get in the U.S. Also, I read a tip in a magazine. If you don't feel comfortable spraying your whole child with bug spray/DEET, try just their shoes and spray every other day... it won't give complete coverage, but enough to deter some bugs from their general area. If you are going to a warm climate, we found the mosquitoes were fine in the middle of the day and at nite... it was dusk and dawn that were the problem times... so you probably won't need to spray up every time you are outside... another thing, if you are staying at nice resort, they generally do a great job of spraying for bugs... depends on where you are staying or what you are doing.

the skin so soft by avon works great and is safe to use on children under the age of 6.

Avon is the best advice I can give you too. We went to the Carribean to the rain forest area and our tour guide told us the best insect repellent she had ever found was Avon Skin-So-Soft bath oil. It is just the oil in the green bottle. She bought it in the biggest bottle they sold and recommended it on all her tours. I don't recall any of us getting bites that day! They also have good sun and bug products that we have always found work very well. Good luck! I have travelled overseas with a 2 year old and a 5 year old and it is a challenge, but still a fun and memorable time! =)

L.,

I am a very rare breed indeed when it comes to mosquito bites. When I get bitten, the welts swell to the size of dinner plates, I get blisters and sometimes it's bad enough that my face swells and I have to go to the hospital for shots. This is a direct result of over-exposure to mosquito bites. When I was a teen, I was bitten from head to toe, not an inch of my body that didn't have a bite. Ever since then, mosquito bites have been a dangerous prospect for me. Everyone is allergic to mosquito bites, that's why they itch. What I have is an EXTREME allergy. An extreme allergy that could have been prevented if I had known how to protect myself.

Please keep in mind that there can be longer lasting effects of mosquito bites than just the initial itchy welts.

I'm not a big fan of using DEET-containing products on my children and I usually use Avon Skin-So-Soft on them. However, when we're traveling, I use products that contain Picaridin, as it is just as effective as DEET. Picaridin and DEET are the only two ingredients my doctor recommends. There are other natural ingredients that work, but are not shown to be as effective.

A couple of links from the CDC that might be helpful:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/mosquitorepellen...
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh2-InsectsArthropod...

I maintain, I'm not a big fan of using DEET on my kids, and I avoid it when possible, but I would be more concerned about your children ending up with the extreme allergy I have and wouldn't take any chances. If you don't want to use DEET, Picaridin is the only way to go.

Of course, there's always the usual preventive measures, like wearing only light colored, LOOSE clothing (mosquitoes will bite right through tight clothing), long sleeves, long pants tucked into socks, staying indoors at dusk when mosquitoes are most active, etc.

Anyhow, that's my two cents, from someone who will live the rest of her life worrying that a few little mosquitoes will send her to the hospital. Please don't let it happen to your kids.

P.S. After the fact, taking some Benadryl along with a topical anti-itch cream is the best way to keep the itch at bay. With my severe allergy, I have a prescription steroid cream for topical use, but nothing works quite like the Benadryl.

I don't know how effective Avon's "Skin So Soft" is now but I can say it was great in the 80s. My Mom, sister, older cousin and I went to Florida to see some family. We were going out to a mini golf course and Mom put it on herself and my sister. My cousin and I were old enough to say "No, way! We're not wearing that stinky stuff!!" and Mom didn't make us wear it. But not only was our group not bothered by skeeters, but the surrounding players weren't either!

I read somewhere that if you put Listerine in a spray bottle and spray the area you are in and on the kids clothes, that is a powerful mosquito repellant. Have not tried it myself but a friend of mine did and said it works!!

Hi L.,

I am having my first child in September, but have spent a lot of time overseas for work. When I traveled to areas that had a lot of mosquitos, I was told I needed a malaria series (pills), yellow fever vaccine and hep A and B vaccines. I am not sure what babies require, but you could visit the Center for Disease Control website. Or there is a great travel clinic in Annandale, VA (Travel Health Services of NOVA). The nurses there are very polite and were willing to answer all of my questions. Their number is ###-###-####.

I hope that helps!

Have a great day!

L.

I also had concerns about Deet, so I found two products, one by Off (Off Clean Feel) and one by Cutter (Cutter Advance-not Advanced Sport), that contain Picaridin, which is safe from 2 mos. old and up. We have all sorts of insects where I live, from mosquitos to ticks, and we haven't had a single mosquito bite this year while we were using the product. Each application lasts for 4 hours and can be applied to both the body and clothes (with no staining). Enjoy your bug-free trip!

the brand - Burt's Bees- has a nice insect repellent that is in a spray on oil form. I would also investigate natural oral remedies that result in repelling or making the skin taste to nasty to bite. (ie: brewer's yeast given to dogs makes thier skin distasteful to fleas). Anything is better than DEET.

I hard about putting Joy dishwashing liquid in a bowl and sitting it out and it draws the mosquitos to it (and kills them) and keeps them away from you. I'm not sure about any products to actually put on your daughter's skin.

L.,

Good morning! How exciting that your family gets to travel. We LOVE to travel too and cannot wait to start exploring overseas.
I have found that washing our clothes with all Melaleuca laundry care AND adding a cap full of Sol-U-Mel to each load helps to make the clothes insect repellent. Also, I use the Melaleuca oil with the Renew lotion and rub it on the boys before they go out to play.
I too have a child and a husband who are allergic to mosquito bites. The bite will swell and be very red. Both of them will scratch for blood especially while sleeping. Melaleuca's Dermacourt helps stop the itch.
I also clean my house with all of Melaleuca's products. I beleive this has helped a lot. As a mom, my favorite part of using Melaleuca's products (aside from them actually working better than things I tried before) is the fact that they are ALL non-toxic, chemical free. They contain no formaldyhide, bleach or any abbrassives. And they have been this way for 23yrs now.
Melaleuca has a 100% money back guarantee. So if you do not like them for any reason, you will get your money back.
I would like to show you how we shop and save each month with Melaleuca. Would you allow me about 45mins of your time to show you online?
Email me anytime at ____@____.com Care and have safe and healthy travels,
N. =) SAHM homeschooling 3 boys 12, 7 & 2 yrs old married to Mr. Wonderful for almost 15yrs. We love to share with others how we shop for safer, healthier products and save every single month.

L., I live in West Africa with my brood and it is malaria city over there so mosquito bite prevention is a biggie with us. We stay indoors at night and have our house sprayed once a month. All that to say -I would go with your pediatrician's advice. I have the same reaction your little one does, as do two of my kiddos. I would recommend using a permethrin based spray for her clothes that she will wear outside in the evenings. (You can buy this at a place that sells camping gear) But for any exposed skin the only way to be sure is to use deet. That is what we have found to be true and that is why we are usually indoors during "mosquito time". hth -L.

We use Avon Skin so Soft.

Hi L. ~

My advice to you is to get a DEET repellant with the lowest dose possible on the bottle. They do make these, as I am pregnant and suffer from huge welts when I am bitten and was really cautious about the DEET in them. The doctor told me the same thing that using ones with low doses is better than none at all. Depending on where you are going the AVON may not protect against the mosquitos that are there. Use can also always have the candles around. If you do not mind, where are you going? We lived in Okinawa for three years witht the mosquitos.

OFF also has a new smooth and soft repellant that has A LOT lower level of DEET.

Hope that helps!
C.

I am Mosquito M. on the Rocks, if you know what I mean!

JASON brand bug spray is all-natural and works well for us. It also makes a no-bug/sunscreen spray. Also check Mercola.com. The guy sells bug spray (and sun screen)--all-natural and works for us.

Also, there's LUSH store. I think you can buy online, but there's one in Tysons Mall near Macy's. It has Karma Cream, which I think has the unplanned benefit of no-bug. Sort of like Avon's Skin So Soft, where they make it for lotion, but bugs don't seem to like it. Karma Cream doesn't smell so good at first, but you get used to it. I'm a nose-oriented person, and I HATED the smell at first, but now it's actually sort of nice. And bugs really seem to stay away. I wore it at the park yesterday; no bugs. But my son was bitten. So there you go. :-)

Good luck.

Yes. Melaleuca has a product called SoluMel and when diluted it is the only bug repellent that I would use on anyone that I care about. It works like a charm and is completely natural and safe. Feel free to contact me for more information.
B.
____@____.com

In addition, if you miss a spot and she does get a bite, the oil of the Melaleuca tree will take the itch and reaction away immediately.

I share your concerns about deet. When we are outside, we have used Avon. However, when we go someplace where mosquitos are really likely to be a problem, like the lake or hiking in the woods, I do use the deet products on my four year old. It is very rare, but I think the risk from the mosquitos in certain cases in terms of number of bites, discomfort, and disease outweight the limited exposure to deet. So, I recommend bringing both and adjusting what you use based on exposure. Make sure thay get showers right after you have been outside. Also, purchase some mosquito netting. Worse comes to worse, you can cover the girls, wrap it around them to help.

Avon Skin So Soft lotion---it's safe and rub it on legs, arms, neck, stomach, etc. Works well for my child since he was 9 months old!

My daughte is a same way. (I was, too) She gets HUGE bumps that last for weeks after mosquito bites. When we went camping a couple of times, yes, I used a insect repellent that contains deet even though I was conserned a lot. After all it was not a big deal. One thing, I avoid a spray type. I used cloth type so that no one can breath it in a air.
Camp professional people had told me, eating garlic is a naturall repellent. So that they take garlic tablets to the deep woods. (repellent bottle is sometime too big to carry for amount for 10 days.) But it's better for all of your group to take at the same time, otherwise, only you will stink, she also told me.
Good luck

My daughters pediatrician recommended that stuff from AVON...not quite sure of the exact name of it...but, it is insect repellant AND sunscreen. It goes on blue so you know you don't miss a spot and the color goes away after awhile when it is absorbed. It's designed especially for kids, I think there's a regular one, too that doesn't turn your child into a smurf initially. My daughter loves it though. I got some for the beach for my daughter because where we go, there are biting flies and it's worked like a champ for her. She, too, when bitten by bugs (mosquitos, I am assuming are the culprit), she gets these NASTY welts that are hard and ugly looking and look like tiny bruises a week or so after the bite.

L.,

My cousins just came back from Greece and they took Shaklee Basic H2 with them. Because it has coconut oil and other natural ingredents and they loved it. It kept mosquitos away and even cleaned a few things as well.

J. Z.
Independent Shaklee Distributor
www.shaklee.net/Z.
Go for the Gold ... ask me how!

I agree w/the Avon suggestion. Try the EXPEDITION version (its a spray) and also get the regular suntan lotion (I get the blue one so I can see where it goes on my sons' bodies! Also, my youngest is 2 and has really bad eczema and it doesn't bother his skin!) for the face area...or you can double up! can't hurt. Spray the stroller(if they even use one still!) and clothes too! Take antibiotic ointment and bandaids for if they get bit...if you make them fun bandaids, they might keep them on and avoid scratching, which will only make it worse! I just went through this w/the 2 year old. He went over to some friends' house overnight and came home w/quarter sized bug bites (mostly from scratching) the spongebob (his fave) bandaids were like stickers to him and he wanted them on there all the time! and it kept him from scratching! Good luck!

My 5 year old daughter & I are mosquito magnets as well. I highly recommend Arbonne's Awaken line from their aromatherapy line. I layer with Alana (and myself too!) The scent is citrus and coriander and is most addictive! I use the shower gel in the morning and the body lotion...then there is a spray mist that I keep on my patio. You can get it through me or any other ARbonne rep that you may know. Be sure to ask how to get 35% off the retail price.

L. Schaefer
Independent Consultant
Regional Vice President
Arbonne International, LLC
ID: 16026733
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www.myskin2.myarbonne.com
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www.arbonne.com
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Believe it or not, Listerine applied to arms, neck and legs does repel mosquitos. Worked for my daughter. I probably wouldn't use it daily, though. If you want something safe daily, I'd probably do a Google search on herbal repellants.

Natural Insect Repellent: Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus
http://www.tasteforlife.com/content/default.asp?artid=69&...

I just ordered some sunscreen from this website, and noticed that they also sold a chemical-free and DEET-free bug spray called Skedattle. Here's the website: www.mexitan.com

I know have also seen repellent at Whole Foods and My Organic market.

Haven't tried any of these yet, but its probably worth looking into. Good luck!

Pin dryer sheets (like bounce) to her clothing...it repels mosquitoes. We did this in Costa Rica and it really worked.

http://www.kokogm.com/Green_Market/Repellent.html

only used it once so far, but seemed to work.

L.,

I have not seen a lot of success with the Avon Skin So Soft lotions when it comes to mosquitoes. It works with gnats and "no see 'ems", but not mosquitoes.

Our daughter also gets large welts from mosquito bites and I found a great herbal repellent that really works. It is called Kids Herbal Armor made by All Terrain (http://www.allterrainco.com). It is DEET-free and the ingredients are oil of citronella, soybean, peppermint, cedar, lemongrass, and geranium. It smells pretty good and lasts for a couple of hours.

Hope that helps!
K.